Chương 32: Bonds I

These Silver Eyes Bill's personal boat was like a Cabin Cruiser, except you could replace the word Cabin for Mansion. It was seriously impressive (and ridiculous) how expensive and huge this ship was. While not as big, it still came quite close to the size of an actual passenger boat. Like every creation of this world, it was incredibly advanced, with an interior that seemed larger than what the boat suggested. We were currently on the expansive main deck and I felt a well of amusement at the entire thing.

Insane what money could get you, huh?

"So what are you doing once you land on One Island?" I asked coolly, not at all caring about what he was actually going to do. Bill turned towards me and grinned.

"My friend over there, Celio, has been running into some issues with the networking of the Sevii Islands. I decided to personally visit to fix it. The islands are important to us so I feel obligated to stabilize the issues myself." I grunted.

"Interesting… so do you really need a bodyguard for this?" He laughed sheepishly.

"I don't mean to brag when saying this, but I'm a fairly important guy and the Sevii Islands can be pretty dangerous if you let your guard down! Granted, One Island is one of the safer places but it never hurts to try."

"I could just hire any random trainer and be done with it… but Green's a friend of mine so I figured it would be more fun! She helped me with an important matter long ago when she was still just a single badge trainer!" Green rubbed the back of her head.

"Aww so you sought me out just because you could?" she asked happily. Bill nodded cheerfully at her words and I stared at him with narrowed eyes.

"How old are you?" I asked calmly.

"17, why?" Bill asked in confusion. I grunted noncommittally and ignored his question.

"17 and your already capable of managing an entire network system? How impressive." The teen blushed in embarrassment.

"Aw shucks. I'm no good at anything else so I just focused all my attention on this!"

"Ah, you put all your points into one stat," I grunted. Bill's eyes lit up.

"Video game references? Yeah that's basically what I did! Do you play?" he asked curiously. I snorted.

"No. I suck."

"He's terrible! Our friend Gold is really good though! I'm the second best!" Green chimed, ignoring the way I pulled her into a headlock.

"Too good. I still have to crush him in that stupid fucking fighting game," I muttered, giving her a harmless noogie and ignoring her whines. Gold was a freakish level of talented when it came to games of any kind. He wasn't only a great gambler, he was just a beast when it came to games. Bill's eyes glinted.

"Gold is that fella that helped you lot in Silph Co isn't he? I met him back at Cerulean! Very confident! His buddy balances him out well!"

"Crys is awesome!" Green gushed in agreement.

"She's way more tolerable than he is. I want to punch her in the face the least out of our gang," I sighed.

"I only ever want to punch you and Goldy in the face," she said wistfully. I snorted.

"Wow Green, you hate men? Not a good look." Green spluttered.

"W-What?! No, that's not what I said at all! I just think you and Goldy are some of the most annoying people on the planet!" A shrug was what she got in response.

"You're not very inclusive either. Just really looking bad for you." She paused in disbelief and stared at me.

"I don't know what you're doing right now but I hate it." I chuckled abruptly at her dead tone.

"When you get super famous, I will strive to get you canceled."

"I-I don't even know what that means!" she cried in confusion. Bill laughed a little awkwardly at our exchange.

"I happen to have a room full of games on the ship! I know a thing or two so how about I teach ya? It'll be fun!" I twitched, ready to deny his request before pausing.

"Alright but you need to make sure I can take rounds off Gold," I said calmly. Bill blinked, a sheen of sweat forming on his face for some reason. I blinked in mild confusion at.

"That sounded like a threat," he said carefully.

"It's not a threat if you make good on my demands," I replied easily. Bill opened his mouth… and shut it.

"Right… follow me. We've still got another day before we make it there!"

"I quit," I said flatly, tossing the controller to the side. Bill scratched his head in confusion.

"I don't really understand. You have some of the best reaction time I've ever seen, you seem to know inputs… but you just fail to press the right buttons." I scowled.

"Whatever. There's no hope for me." Reaction time didn't mean shit. Everyone in the Color Gang had great reaction time. Our client pursed his lips.

"I actually noticed something… have you ever tried remapping your controls?" I blinked.

"Huh?" Bill nodded.

"I noticed that whenever you want to do something, you press a button… you just happen to always press the wrong button. In fact, for things like guarding and attacking, you consistently press the same wrong button. It's as if in your mind, those are the buttons meant for attacking and guarding." Hm… that made sense. Maybe if I played games more, I would have noticed. I'm fairly sure I've never played video games before so that meant it was my skills from the other world. Huh, that's funny to think about.

True to Bill's words, once I mapped my controls to what felt right to me, my skills improved significantly. I was still getting my ass handed to me by both Bill and Green, but now it was actually competitive!

"Not bad," I nodded, actually impressed despite having still lost all my matches. Even though I had great reaction time… Green had great reaction time and experience. Bill was also just too good at games. But still… I was satisfied. Gold would fall to me eventually.

"You two travel around a lot yeah? Not much time to settle down? Why not take some portable game devices with you?" Bill asked, reaching over to grab at two because of course he had two lying around. Green waved her arms frantically.

"Oh we can't just—""We accept," I bulldozed effortlessly, taking them both out of his hand. I handed one over to the stunned Green, watching the way her mouth flapped uselessly at my antics.

"Oh no way! The Rotom Switch?!" she gaped, inspecting it with wide eyes. Bill grinned.

"Limited edition shiny version! They've got a library full of games, including Collision Course!" Collision Course was the fighting game that Gold was absolutely stomping me in. It was a fighting game with the fighting type as the focus... I glanced at the device with an amused expression. For all intents and purposes, it looked like a Switch from my old world but with the Rotom Theme instead. Combined with the fact the company of these fighting games was literally called Game Freak...

I should probably be a tad more concerned but at this point, I really just didn't give a fuck anymore to question things. This world was just too funny.

"Alright Billy. You get to survive another day," I said, nodding in content as I placed the device in my bag. Bill smiled, only to blink.

"It's Bill, not... Billy." Green pat his shoulder.

"Silvy is terrible with names. I don't know how because his memory is almost perfect... but he's very consistent with it to the point where I don't think it's a joke." I blinked owlishly.

"Am I that bad?" My companion stared flatly at me.

"You didn't know half the Johto Gym Leader names. You mispronounced almost all of them."

"One of them was literally named Fuck her."

"Falkner! His name was Falkner! This is what I'm talking about! I corrected you back then and you still forgot! How are you so bad at names?!" Green asked incredulously. I shrugged helplessly.

"I dunno." She shook her head.

"It's not just names either! You didn't even know how Lorelei looked! How does someone this ignorant even exist?!"

"Okay just because I'm not obsessed with other people doesn't mean I'm that ignorant. I just have negative amounts of curiosity and never delve deeper unless I have to," I defended, kind of offended by her words.

"How does Elite 4 Karen look?" Green asked suddenly. I blinked owlishly and thought about it.

"White hair. Attractive." Green looked utterly unimpressed.

"Anything else you wanna add?" she asked. I mulled it over.

"... Really attractive?" I tried.

"My point is proven," Green said sagely. I twitched in annoyance.

"Why the hell would I know what Karen looks like? I got the gist of it down!" I protested.

"Besides the fact she's the newest member of the Elite 4 and one of the few dark type masters in the world... you and her have similar eye colors so I know for a fact you'd at least remember that," she said flatly. We had a stare off... before I reluctantly pulled my Pokegear out to search up a picture of how she looked. Bill spluttered.

"You seriously didn't know?!"

"Of course he didn't!" Green puffed up. I sneered at her.

"She has white hair and she's attractive. I don't know what more you want from me. Besides her eyes are more silver-blue. Mine are a bit more metallic."

"That's what you would have said if you knew how she looked!" Green said triumphantly. I mulled that over.

"Fair play. Alright you got me. I have no idea how any of the Elite 4 actually look besides aunt. I have a vague idea but that's it," I admitted. Green grinned in victory, before my words actually registered in her ear.

"W-W-What?! None of them?" she gaped.

"Not a single one," I drawled. I just had a vague idea based on their video game sprites and what not. They lined up fairly well with few differences of course.

"I believe you," Green said seriously, no hint of doubt on her features. I snorted at that.

"U-Um hold on. Did you just say your aunt is a part of the Elite 4?" Bill asked slowly, staring at me with wide eyes. The two of us looked at him and nodded.

"Yeah. Elite 4 Lorelei," I grunted.

"She's adorable! Depending on how long we stay here, she might even show up because she misses Silvy!" Green gushed. I scratched my head at that, resisting the urge to sigh fondly. She really was too adorable.

"Wow... I managed to get the help of quite the impressive bunch. I hope Elite 4 Lorelei doesn't take offense," Bill laughed nervously.

"She might if you scam me and I tell her," I retorted dryly. The brunette waved his hands back and forth rapidly.

"I won't scam! Honest! You're friends of mine!" I snorted. Friends? Me? What a hopeless guy.

"We look forward to working with you," I said truthfully, eyes gleaming greedily.

"Oh man. I can't believe you're a real person," Green moaned miserably. One Island, or Knot Island, was a quaint place with a very peaceful atmosphere. The air was hot, brushing against the low cut grass and causing a slight rustling of leaves. The bright green trees rustled in time with the smoldering atmosphere, unfazed by the heat pressing down on the just as unaffected citizens. The heat was stifling enough, that I could smell the tinge of burnt leaves on my nose and the taste of ash on my tongue.

The reason for the generally hot atmosphere, was due to the daunting Kindle Road and Mt. Ember residing near One Island. I grabbed my canteen and immediately downed half the water inside of it... Before handing it to Green who downed the rest. This heat was so goddamn dry. How fun.

"Bad right? Don't worry though! Your lodgings have a pool and there's a beach nearby!" Bill assured, looking even worse off than Green and I. The rich boy was sweating badly already, dress shirt clinging to him. Despite that, his mood seemed unflappable... if not a little more urgent to get somewhere cool. I simply let out a gruff noise and beckoned for him to guide us to our destination.

"One second, let's go meet Celio first!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Green beamed. Even under the suffering heat of this weather, nothing could get her mood down. I was fairing about the same as Green but because I was inherently more grumpy, you would think I'm dying from the heat. But it wasn't all that terrible. I just liked to be a grump.

"Alright alright," I exhaled. Our group marched towards the Pokemon Center. In that time, I took the chance to inspect the surroundings of One Island. The Sevii Islands weren't the biggest places around but they were still far more sizeable than their depiction in the games. One Island was actually pretty large (one of the largest of the islands) so it took us a fair bit to reach the Center. Green and I waved and nodded respectively at the friendly natives of the island.

The people of One Island looked more in appearance with the citizens I saw of Hoenn, dark and tan skin being the majority of them. Bill was supposed to be leading us to the center but the poor guy was hopelessly out of shape. We just asked a friendly old man where it was and I had Gaia drag him behind us while Green and I led the charge.

"Sorry about that. This heat sure is deadly!" Bill laughed, wiping the sweat off his head. Gaia waved off his apology, just trotting with Bill as I idly raked a hand against her side. I didn't acknowledge Bill's words myself, just watching as the automatic doors parted for our group. We stepped through and a sigh left all 3 of us, as the cool air blasted us with reinvigorating force.

"Bill! You made it!" a voice shouted. A fairly basic brown haired guy, with a set of round glasses, was the one who said that. There was really nothing impressive about him and I didn't even stare long enough to make out his outfit.

"Celio! How's it going?" Bill waved, bowing thankfully to Gaia as she placed him down.

"Way better now that you're here!" Celio exclaimed in relief. I stared at the two dorks conversing, before gazing at the Pokemon Center. Like most Pokemon Centers, they were way bigger than what we were led to believe playing the games but unlike the Center of One Island, there was no giant computer just sitting in the middle of it. It was probably located somewhere else, not that I was very interested in seeing it.

"These are my friends, Green and Silver!" I heard Bill say suddenly. I blinked, zoning back into the conversation and being greeted by the bespectacled staring of Celio.

"Pleasure to meet you both!" Celio greeted happily. All he got from me, was a nonverbal noise. Green laughed and eagerly shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you! Silvy isn't very talkative! Sorry about him!" Bill nodded happily.

"He takes some getting used to!" I perked a brow at that, before shrugging.

"We've met. Bring me to our quarters now."

"Never one to skimp out on your words! Alright just give me a bit to assess the issue first," Bill conceded. I groaned. Being a bodyguard sucked. Remind me to never do this again. I blinked in disbelief, staring at where Green and I were being lodged, with a look of genuine surprise.

"Goddamn," I muttered, looking at the size of the building. We had been brought south of the island, close to their treasure beach and it was there that we saw, where we were going to be residing. Our lodgings, much like Bill's boat, were seriously impressive, looking completely out of place with the other buildings of this island. Seriously it basically doubled the size of the biggest house we'd seen so far.

It was a modern style two story house, that was simple and clean (heh) made up of white concrete with a flat tile roof. The windows were large and offered a fantastic view, while the lawn was manicured neatly, with low cut grass that had few flowers. Overall, it was damn impressive. Simple and efficient, while still showcasing that the owner had money to spend. Pretty well suited for a guy like Bill.

"Good yeah?" Bill puffed up, gazing at the mansion with a proud grin.

"I come to the Sevii Islands every once in a while and this is the place I use! I'll crash with Celio this time though so we can discuss. It's stocked to the brim with anything you could need! If you need more supplies, I'll be happy to give em!" Green let out an excited squeal and charged the giant house.

"Dibs on the biggest room!" she cried out.

"No!" I barked back.

"You're gonna sleep in mine anyways so that means I'm getting the biggest one!"

"Ugh! Fine!" she shouted back, not having slowed in the slightest. I turned towards Bill.

"I'm gonna have a friend over. Hope you don't mind," I said coolly.

"Of course not! You're the ones detouring for me!" Bill waved off my request easily, rubbing the back of his head. I nodded. Bill was a pretty respectable guy. I wouldn't scam him that bad, in that case.

"If you need us for our services, we'll mostly be training here. Just knock on the door or call Green. Don't call me or I might not answer." Bill nodded happily.

"I'll be over at Celio's! We're gonna need to order the pieces. At most, it'll take a few weeks!" he informed me.

"Right right," I muttered, turning back to face the house.

"Slow down Leaf! Let's check out the kitchen first! I'm hungry as hell!" Green and I got situated pretty quickly. We picked out our rooms, made some calls to let everyone know where we were and established where everything in the large house was. Bill wasn't kidding around. The backyard was huge! Our teams would have no problem training back there and even if we did, the two of us could always find an area around Mt. Ember to train instead.

Hell with Lapee and Freyja, we could even maybe find an unmarked landscape (There were plenty around the Sevii Islands that people just didn't want to inhabit for various reasons) and practice there. Our benefactor had our number if he needed to ring us up and we weren't around. He even reluctantly had mine... I would have assumed that during our stay here, Celio would have immediately sent us to Two Island for some sort of mission but that hadn't popped up yet or maybe it'd never pop up.

Granted, it was only our first day here so maybe he'd ask us in a few more. Regardless of if he did or not, Green and I would probably visit Two and Three Island anyways. I contemplated visiting the other islands beyond that but I wasn't really interested... and I heard my grandparents were on Four Island. I wasn't the most stoked to meet them but I'm sure Lorelei would have it happen regardless one of these days. Well, whatever. I'd take the time to just enjoy myself. I deserved a bit of peace for the time being.

And on that note… Green and I, who were both lazily lounging on the couches and deciding what we were going to make today, perked up as we heard gentle knocks on our door. At once, I smiled and Green grinned brightly. The two of us rushed to the door and opened it without further prompting, making the person on the other side jump slightly. Jasmine was demurely holding her hands in front of her. It looked like she had been contemplating knocking again… but decided against it at the last moment.

I noticed her pokegear was in her right hand and huffed in amusement.

"Were you about to call us?" I asked curiously. She blushed bashfully and nodded.

"I didn't want to disturb you too much… what if you guys were sleeping o-or out in the backyard or just too far to hear my knock—" Jasmine yelped in surprise, as Green and I dragged her into the house mid sentence.

"Don't be such a stranger," I scolded, smiling at the sight of one of my best friends.

"Yeah! We missed you Jas!" Green laughed happily, pulling the two of us into a tight hug. Jasmine teared up at that.

"I missed you both too! I missed you so much!" she cried, squeezing us back. My expression softened a bit. It wasn't hard to see Jasmine feeling slightly neglected and I really couldn't blame her. It made sense. Two of her best friends were traveling together and got to see each other every day. I'd feel some type of way too, being the odd one out. It was natural to end up feeling like the forgotten one when you were the only one separated from your friends.

"Hey it's okay," I soothed calmly, patting her on the head and watching as she sniffed.

"We're sorry for not checking up on you more… we'll be better," Green nodded in agreement, squeezing our companion with a frown.

"N-No that's okay!" Jasmine sniffed again, wiping her eyes.

"I'm just overreacting. You know how I get…" I shook my head.

"Nah, I think you're justified in feeling like this." Green smiled gently.

"We're your best friends Jas! You can be more selfish when it comes to us!" Jasmine gazed at the two of us with wide eyes.

"You two… you've both become so mature in such a short amount of time! I almost don't recognize either of you!" she gushed, pulling us into a tight hug. We smiled at that and the third member of our group, took a deep breath. I saw her mull something over, debating with herself if it was worth mentioning before she finally steeled herself. I was proud of her.

"Okay… since I can be more selfish… I want you two to be more honest with me," she said bluntly, staring at the two of us with a determined expression that immediately crumbled at our focus. We blinked in surprise at her words.

"Honest…?" we repeated carefully. Jasmine nodded slowly.

"There's something going on with you guys and… and I wanna know! I don't want to be left in the dark anymore! You guys are trying to coddle and protect me but I can take it!" she said in determination.

"Alright," I agreed. Jasmine blinked owlishly.

"Alright? That easy?" she muttered. I nodded.

"You're our best friend, Jasmine. It's better that you're here in person. This isn't really stuff I'd want logged through messages or call." She nodded carefully.

"Okay… but I'm a little hungry. Where's the kitchen? We can cook and talk!" Green began cheering loudly.

"Yes! Jasmine's cooking! Finally! Silvy and I have been getting better so I'm convinced if we watch you this time, we'll actually be able to apply it to our own!" I nodded in agreement.

"Everything you do, makes a little more sense now. We just need to get the timings down and hear your explanations." Jasmine lit up, cheeks turning rosy.

"I want to see how much you two have improved so… how about I guide you step by step and you learn from that?" The two of us mulled it over and we eventually nodded in agreement.

"Only add input when we're messing up. You can gauge what we're doing right and wrong like this," I suggested. She nodded happily.

"I really did miss you guys!" I chuckled a little warily.

"We missed you too, Jas… just don't tell anyone what I'm going to tell you." She beamed, blissfully unaware of why I told her that.

"You know I won't Silver! Don't be ridiculous!" I smiled thinly.

"Shouldn't we be eating at the table…?" Jasmine asked carefully, balancing her portion of the food and gently laying it on the table. I raised a brow and grabbed a remote, turning the TV on and putting it on a random channel.

"We could… but I don't wanna," I grunted, allowing the background noise to fill the air.

"I'm used to eating at the dinner table too, but Silver's a brute who does what he wants," Green muttered, digging into her curry with happy singing. All of our members were in another room/backyard, fitted to accommodate for even the gigantic Steelix (not that Bill was aware we had something that big with us), and all eating the food we prepared for them. Bill was seriously loaded. How did he just casually supply us with all of this? It was surreal!

After exchanging a manly hug with Empy, while accepting the painful, albeit sweet, affections of Skarmy and Rusty, we escorted the pokemon to the area where they'd be residing and came back to make dinner for us all. I shrugged and dug into my plate of curry, sighing at the taste. I understand it now. Jasmine's guidance wasn't effective before but now that Green and I knew how to cook, it all clicked. Things that didn't make sense, like pouring the exact amount of something, suddenly became way clearer.

"I feel like we've just become master chefs," Green said sagely, taking a tiny break from devouring her plate... before immediately digging back into it. Jasmine's cheeks darkened drastically at that.

"You guys are embarrassing me. Stop that," she chastised with no heat. The only heat, was the steam she was practically emitting from how red-faced she was. We chuckled at that. Some things would never change and Jasmine's mannerisms, no matter the boost in confidence, were one of them. I took another bite of my food and hummed, before placing it down for the moment.

"Alright Jas, I'll tell you everything." The mood became slightly more serious at my tone. Jasmine diligently ate her plate, focusing all her attention onto me as the TV truly became background noise. I took a deep breath.

"Jasmine, I'm… an experiment of Team Rocket," I said bluntly. … Jasmine's chopsticks clattered uselessly on the floor and she gazed at me with wide and horrified eyes.

"W-What...?" she whispered.

"They… did things to me. Things that I don't remember," I admitted to her.

"But I haven't been completely honest with you either." For some reason, I was nervous. Was it because Jasmine was a Gym Leader? She could have me arrested at any given moment if she really wanted to. She had the authority needed for it… she definitely had the power. Jasmine was a powerhouse of a trainer, one who I needed a bit more time to beat. But that wasn't why I was nervous. I was nervous because the thought of losing one of my closest friends, made a pit form in my stomach that refused to go away.

Somehow, disappointing Jasmine was the last thing that I wanted to do. It was on the same level as disappointing Green or Lorelei. A squeeze of my hands, brought my attention to Green who was gazing at me with a confident smile.

"Jasmine… Gaia is the stolen Chikorita from the lab. I'm the thief who attacked Professor Elm," I explained slowly. She reeled back in shock. Betrayed brown eyes stared at me, misty in a way that made me dart my eyes. By now, finishing our food, was an idea of the past and Jasmine stared a hole into her plate.

"Y-You've been lying to me this whole time?" she asked quietly, lips wobbling. I sighed.

"Yes I have. When we first met, I was trying to avoid speaking to you a lot because you're a gym leader. You thought I only had Loki at the time, but I was hiding Gaia with me... Then I left the region. That's why I was in Olivine." Her lips began wobbling even more and I felt a twinge, at the pain in her eyes.

"That's why you were so reluctant to be my friend… because you thought I was going to arrest you… that's also why you're so secretive," she whispered.

"... Yeah," I sighed. Jasmine said nothing at that… then she stood up and approached me. I was not surprised at all, when even Jasmine of all people, slapped me across the face… A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. It was pathetically weak, not even making me flinch as the palm rested against my cheek from the smack. But... it still hurt like a bitch. Well, I can't say I'm too surprised about that. If anyone deserved to condemn me, it was Jasmine.

Our entire friendship was basically built on a complete lie after all. Of all the people I knew, she was the one I lied to the longest. Bummer. I hoped at the very least, she could still be friends with Green. My companion would be crushed if Jasmine stopped talking to the both of us— I was very surprised to see Jasmine tackle me further into my seat with the tightest hug she had ever given me. It stunned me silent, watching Jasmine squeeze me with fat tears spilling out her eyes.

"Y-You dummy! D-Did you really think I would have turned you in? Really?" Jasmine cried out, looking crushed. I flinched slightly.

"I thought you'd prioritize your duties as Gym Leader. I committed a pretty serious crime after all," I admitted truthfully, feeling the harsh trembles. My best friend sniffed harshly.

"I don't care about any of that! I'm mad that you never thought to tell this stuff to me. Aren't we best friends?!" I was stunned at her question.

"I… didn't want to incriminate you. It would suck if you got in trouble for something you didn't even know about. You were unknowingly an accomplice for me…"

"Well, now I'm your known accomplice! I guess I can't reveal this information or I might lose my job!" she sniffed. I watched with stunned eyes, as my first friend burrowed deeper into me, shuddering and hiccuping occasionally.

"You may have taken Gaia… but I know you Silver. You did it for a reason! If I never met Gaia… maybe I'd be more disappointed in you but she loves you like you've owned her for years. Chikorita is a pokemon who doesn't get appreciation but Gaia is one of the most spoiled and loved pokemon I've ever met!" Jasmine's lips wobbled and she ducked her head.

"Team Rocket messed with you? I won't let them get away with that… because they hurt you so much that you thought you couldn't trust me… and you can always trust me," she promised.... It dawned to me, that the most amount of confidence I'd seen from Jasmine... was because of me. My gaze softened and I hugged her back tightly.

"I trust you Jas… I just didn't want to hurt you," I murmured truthfully.

"I'm more hurt you think that I'd be this hurt. Didn't I tell you it's nice not being treated like I'm made of glass?" Jasmine pouted in discontent.

"You say that, while being adorably innocent," I pointed out with a small smile.

"The most adorable!" Green nodded eagerly, leaping into the group hug. Jasmine squeaked and with Green crushed against us, she seemed to finally have noticed the awkward situation we were in.

"G-Green! Get off of me! I'm crushing Silver!" she yelped in horror.

"Nope! He deserves it!" Green cackled, squeezing us both cheerfully. I grunted, not nearly as uncomfortable as I was supposed to be.

"That's okay. She'll get what's coming to her eventually." My companion cackled again. Green was always extremely confident until it was actually time for punishment… I respected her complete lack of preservation until future Green had to deal with it… What a free spirit she was. She was also an idiot. Jasmine gasped in total awe, as we revealed our teams to her. She had a hand over her mouth, eyes glinting proudly as she looked at our members.

"Goodness, it feels like only yesterday, that you and Green were traveling with us through Mt. Moon!" she gushed.

"Look at you, Loki! I remember when you were just a little Zorua and now you're a strong and healthy Zoroark!" she said in awe. Loki's eyes curled into u's, as Jasmine eagerly ran a hand through his fur.

"Oh and look at you Gaia! Such a fantastic Meganium! I really did have no idea you were the Chikorita from Newbark! You love Silver so much, I'd never have imagined you were kidnapped!" Jasmine wondered, easily hugging the Meganium. Gaia puffed up happily, wrapping her vines around Jasmine's body.

"Megani!" she beamed, before shooting Jasmine a wary look. Jasmine laughed and waved off her concern.

"Your secret is safe with me! I'm fairly sure them taking you away, would do more harm than good!" Gaia wholly agreed with that, judging by her eager nods of agreement. The gym leader laughed at that, before turning towards Metang with a beaming grin.

"Metang! How are you? Employing my teachings well?" she asked giddily, practically leaping atop the steel type. Metang rumbled, allowing Jasmine to sit atop them without much fuss. That asshole would throw me off if I didn't ask... but Jasmine was universally loved by my entire team. She was one of the people Metang actually liked.

"I'll be happy to teach you more during my stay here!" she gushed, patting my steel type with gusto. Metang's eyes glinted in obvious interest because my traitorous steel type loved to inhale knowledge from other trainers, like that stupid fucking old ass psychic, Sabrina.

"You are making an unsavory face, trainer. Do not tell me you are still upset that I accepted tips from the psychic who you harbor a love-hate relationship with?"

"Love-hate? What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I knew you would focus on that part of my statement." Jasmine was unaware of my conversation with Metang, just cheerfully hopping off of him and approaching Ares.

"Ares! Last time I saw you, you were big but you look even more fierce! Goodness!" she gasped, running a hand against her hard shell. Ares looked pleased by that, leaning into the touch with a purr that came out as a deep rumble.

"So cute! I can't imagine how big you'll be as a Salamence!" she awed. My Shelgon looked pleased, but it vanished in favor of mild annoyance as a serpentine figure wrapped happily around the yelping Jasmine. The Gym Leaders eyes widened, before morphing into an expression of joy.

"Freyja! Look at you! You look wonderful!" Jasmine praised, laughing as Freyja nuzzled her cheek.

"You and Silver both deserve praise. Not only did he believe in you until the end, you believed in him to the end and the both of you were rewarded with evolution!" Freyja blushed happily and nodded in agreement, squeezing Jasmine.

"Would you look at that," I mused with a smile.

"Freyja's been a bit of an asshole lately. She doesn't give many people the time of day." My Milotic spluttered and turned towards me with wide eyes, that quickly morphed into outrage. She tackled me to the floor, placing her lower half beneath me so I didn't get hurt, and began squeezing me with no force at all. I rolled my eyes and accepted her "discipline". Jasmine laughed.

"Seems like even Freyja is no longer immune to your bullying!" she observed. I chuckled in agreement.

"She's a big girl. She can take it now," I said proudly. Freyja huffed, spraying me with a harmless amount of water and immediately getting me to cough in surprise.

"Don't think you'll get away with that," I warned her. My Milotic blinked. The weight of my words crashed into her and she made a horrified face. Freyja immediately began whining out an apology but I snorted and ignored it.

"Nope too late. You started this war, Freyja. Start asking Metang for help," I said peacefully. Jasmine laughed as Freyja began whining atop me, only to pause at the feeling of a warm body tapping her curiously. She looked down and I watched as Jasmine actually melted.

"Oh my, you must be Silver's little Charcadet!" Jasmine squealed, lifting up the baby of my team.

"Char!" Charcadet beamed, allowing her to squeeze him with a happy sigh.

"So cute! I heard you're a little excited one unlike your rude father!" she exclaimed. Charcadet nodded cheerfully, laughing at her words. The two continued hugging, before Jasmine reluctantly released him. She turned towards the final member of my team and peered curiously at the reserved Oberon.

"You might just be the shyest Ursaring I've ever seen!" Jasmine exclaimed, tentatively putting a hand out to show she meant no harm. Oberon withered slightly at that, before blinking in confusion as she ran a hand against his fur.

"Soft," she whispered in wonder, raking a hand against him soothingly.

"It's hard to feel fur like this when you're a steel specialist. My members just feel cool, hard and tough. There's Lucario but trying to evolve a Riolu is exceedingly difficult. Few manage to achieve it." Jasmine's ramblings calmed Oberon down greatly and he sighed in content at her administrations. My first friend smiled cheerfully as a Togetic landed directly on her shoulder.

"Oh Togee! You've evolved and you look as fierce as ever! Not to mention, look how large you've become, Saury! You are the biggest Venusaur I've ever seen! Oh and Vee you decided to become an Espeon? It suits you so well!"

"Our team completely loves her," Green said dryly, watching as our shy best friend began to get steadily swamped by the entirety of her team. I nodded in agreement, Empy next to me as we discussed matters. My favorite of Jasmine's pokemon was thanking me for helping their trainer make him stronger and I just waved him off because of course I'd help them out. Empy was a bro. He was also a huge fan of that Piplup plush I gave him. It was for Jasmine but eh... they could share it.

"Hard not to. Jasmine could be a lot more popular if she had more confidence," I added.

"Pole," Empy nodded in agreement.

"You got that right," Green nodded sagely.

"Little Loki! You've grown so much!" Skarmy crooned, pecking Loki affectionately on his head.

"Skarmy" Loki laughed, barely wincing as she nipped his long hair.

"Rusty!" Gaia cheered, bounding up to the utterly gargantuan Steelix.

"Little Gaia! Little Loki!" Rusty called gently, leaning down to the best of her ability and allowing everyone there to regard her.

"Woah..." Larvee and Charcadet said in awe, gazing at the Steelix with wide eyes.

"You're big as shit!" Charcadet exclaimed excitedly, rushing Rusty with no fear. The Steelix gasped.

"Language young one!" she scolded.

"That won't stop little Charcy. He's got a rough mouth," Lapee sighed. Charcadet laughed in a carefree manner, rushing the nervous little Tinkatink.

"Hi! I'm Charcadet! What's your name?" he asked curiously. The little pink pokemon jumped at the sudden question.

"I'm... Tiny," she greeted quietly, inching slowly behind Skarmy. Charcadet did not let that happen.

"We're basically the same size! Let's be friends! Follow me!" he said bluntly.

"O-Oh! Okay!" Tiny said, yelping as the excited Characadet dragged her away.

"Oh wait for me! I wanna join!" Larvee gasped, chasing after the group. Ares watched them run off into a little corner and scoffed, retreating to her own area and plopping down to meditate... Or at least she tried to, but the strange floating ball was making that rather difficult.

"What do you desire, vermin?" she grunted.

"Nothing, it is just rare for me to meet another shelled creature like myself," Fortry replied blandly. Ares felt a well of annoyance at that.

"Do not compare my stature to yours. Once I am rid of this shell, you will acknowledge my glory," she grunted. Fury, the Ferroseed atop Fortry glanced warily at the Shelgon.

"I don't think we should be messing with her," he said slowly.

"Ares is really scary!" Draky the male Dreepy exclaimed.

"Like really scary!" Dory the female Dreepy announced.

"She'll eat you if you keep bothering her," Dree said warily.

"Heed their warnings, vermin. I desire little to no interaction with any of you," Ares grunted, shutting her eyes. Empy snorted at the Shelgon.

"She is exactly like her trainer as usual," the Empoleon noted. Freyja groaned in agreement.

"Antisocial, feral and loves to battle... yeah that sounds about right."

"Do you two still despise each other?" Empy asked in amusement.

"... There's some respect?" Freyja said weakly. Her fellow water type nodded in approval.

"Likely because of your evolution. Well done."

"Ah! Little Freyja is that you? Have you evolved?!" Rusty asked excitedly. Atop the Steelix's head, Togee sat proudly. The Togetic clearly wasn't used to reaching such heights just yet but he arrogantly sat atop Jasmine's kind starter with the audacious air of a king.

"I barely recognize you!" Skarmy gasped. Freyja blushed bashfully at that.

"I evolved because of Silver's faith in me. He realized how great I was when no one else did and I love my trainer so much that I can't stand when he's wrong... so I made him right," she said happily. The Steelix cooed at that... which sounded rather terrifying coming from such a large creature.

"Well done, little Freyja. I'm sure no matter what, little Silver will be proud of you!" Freyja's blush deepened in her embarrassment.

"Thank you, Rusty!"

"I take it you do not adore socialization?" Magny the Magnezone asked tonelessly. Saury grunted at the question.

"Socialization is for my other teammates. I find peace in the silence and socialize when it is necessary."

"I am in agreement. We simply protect silently," was all Magny said.

"Indeed," Saury agreed. That was all that was said between the two as they remained in peaceful solitude.

"Wow... you two are so peaceful... I think I'm just going to sit here," Oberon decided quietly, taking a seat next to the silent pokemon.

"I still cannot fathom how you are able to function in the presence of Moon Eyes," Bronzy mused.

"That's something I don't understand myself. How are you able to even link to Silver?" Vee asked curiously. Metang regarded the two with a blank expression.

"I do not know the specifics myself. I'm sure that my trainer is aware but he desires confirmation first." The Bronzong remained stationary.

"His presence was not nearly as daunting as it is now when I first encountered him. It seems as if he is evolving himself." Vee nodded.

"I couldn't feel it as an Eevee but as an Espeon, it's crazy! It's like he's a mix of things I can't pinpoint!" he exclaimed.

"He is indeed most strange... regardless, my trainer is a tight lipped person. He will tell me when the time comes... and I will consider telling you all," Metang replied truthfully. The Espeon snorted in amusement.

"You're as tight lipped as he is, Metang."

"A side effect from being bonded for so long, I imagine. I have similarities with my trainer," Bronzong intoned. Both Metang and Vee shot the other psychic a strange look at that. Similarities? Like what...?

"Do not compare me to that Blight. We are not similar. Our wills have just aligned," Metang said simply.

"Whatever you say. I don't think anyone that can read Silver's mind would end up normal. You should see the chaos that goes on in Greens," Vee laughed.

"You do not wish to know what happens in my trainers head. It is a dark and cold place filled with the incessant chatter of his voice," Metang said blandly. Bronzy floated idly.

"Perhaps you two are not so different. Only a fool would dare breach the mind of that creation. I was nearly drained of all my energy just communicating with Moon Eyes, yet you are linked with him and act normally." Metang scoffed.

"Do not needlessly insult the Blight. That is my honor alone. Regardless of what you may think, we have bonded. I feel no strain that other psychics mention and I never have. That simply means we are compatible," they droned. Bronzy's strange eyes flashed.

"My apologies. It is not my intention to offend. Trainer Jasmine says that I am "thoughtless" when it comes to my statements."

"Think nothing of it," Metang dismissed.

"So you do actually care about Silver. That might be the nicest thing I've heard about him from you," Loki chuckled.

"You speak to me far too freely, Trickster. Refrain from doing such a thing." The Zoroark chuckled at that, before turning towards Bronzong.

"Silver never mentioned you talking to him back at Olivine. You say he's gotten even worse?" Loki didn't know why Silver was terrifying to Ghosts and Psychics. It hadn't been like that before but it was growing steadily stronger as time passed. He wondered if it was due to that legendaries cells. Mewtwo...

"That is correct. Before, I was able to tolerate his presence. Now it has become daunting," Bronzy replied calmly.

"I kinda got used to it but only if I don't focus too much of my energy on him. The pressure is actually good for training," Vee explained.

"Interesting," Loki muttered. Much like with Metang, Loki was sure Silver had an idea of what was going on but his trainer wouldn't explain until he got confirmation.

"What of you, fox? As a dark type, you should also be more intune with the mystical arts. Does your trainer not invoke anything out of you?" Bronzy mused.

"Enhanced aggression. I don't know if that has anything to do with whatever his problem is though," Loki replied easily. Metang perked up at that and turned towards Loki.

"You have never made mention of this, fox. Why?" they demanded.

"It's not worth mentioning besides becoming worse with evolution. Being too close to Silver, fills me with the urge to hunt but I was taught self control at a young age so I can hold it back," he explained. Truthfully, that was the reason Loki was capable of killing so easily. Being near his trainer, enhanced the predatory nature of his being. He didn't feel the need to mention it... because he was always around Silver.

It was easy to view everything as prey, when there was a voice in the back of your head telling you that even your beloved trainer was a target that needed to be hunted as well. Metang stared at Loki for a long while, information coursing through them at speeds that would become incalculable upon evolution.

"Don't tell Silver about that enhanced aggression thing. He'll worry needlessly and we don't want that," Loki said with a calm smile.

"Hmph. Very well. Do not think I will withhold such information forever, however. You will tell him when our problems are solved or I will, Trickster," Metang intoned. Loki nodded in agreement.

"That's the plan. We have more things to worry about." Vee sighed.

"All of Silver's pokemons are so troublesome. Can't any of you be normal?" he asked tiredly.

"I do wish my beloved Trainer Jasmine had found a normal trainer to befriend," Bronzy mused.

"So Magny should be one of my heaviest hitters and I should prioritize keeping him alive by teaching him Volt Switch..." Jasmine noted, nodding thoughtfully at my words. I nodded in agreement, idly patting Tiny's head.

"You have a fairly defensive team. Nearly all your members would benefit from having Stealth Rock. Setting up will be your friend here but if that fails, you need damage. Magny has that in spades but he needs a way out, especially since switching isn't allowed in a lot of your battles."

"Right... that sounds really smart! My team is quite defensive!" Jasmine agreed. I held up the giddy Tinkatink, little baby cheering at my antics.

"This little girl here will be your next beast. She'll be a key piece to your offense in the future, not to mention that Ferroseed will be another monster defensively too," I said confidently. The little fairy looked up at me with adoring eyes, melting as I easily pat her.

"I've been training her a lot! She should be close to evolution!" Jasmine smiled happily.

"It's dawning on me that Silver is giving advice to a gym leader on multiple of her pokemon and it's really good, and scary, advice," Green said dryly. My gym leader friend nodded in agreement.

"I'm just as surprised as you... but Empy loves Scald and Flip Turn too! He's a fan of swapping between offensive and defensive styles and Silver helped me figure out how to do that!" she gushed. I snorted.

"I've helped you too, Leaf. This isn't really anything new."

"Yeah but I'm a first year! Jasmine is a gym leader and a prodigy!" Green exclaimed. I shrugged. I used to play a good bit of competitive back when the Hoenn remakes dropped. While this world wasn't nearly as rigid... some strategies still worked just as well. They actually worked even worse with the fact that we could get more moves. I just took my knowledge of that and applied it here. We were currently in the middle of training our members and the three of us began discussing what we could teach them.

For Jasmine, I was turning her into a stall queen of course. A majority of her members were tanky as shit already so that part was fine. What she needed now was a pokemon that could clean up like Magny or Tiny.

"By the way... here you go, Jas," I said, pulling out a Key Stone from my bag. Jasmine blinked as I dropped it in her hand. There was a confused expression on her face, but she accepted it all the same.

"This is a Keystone. It allows you to Mega Evolve certain pokemon into a new form."

"Oh! W-Wow! I didn't know that existed!" Jasmine awed. She gazed at the Key Stone with renewed interest (as if it ever vanished) and turned back to look at me.

"So if you're giving this to me, does that mean I have a pokemon that can do this Mega Evolution?" she asked. I nodded and pointed to the biggest pokemon there.

"Rusty can. That's all from your team. You need the mega stone to evolve her further though," I explained. Naturally, I'd eventually start hunting them down... but that was for when I had fast travel with my glorious Salamence. Jasmine let a noise of surprise slip at that and gazed at her first pokemon with wide eyes.

"Wow... is there anything I should prepare for?" she asked curiously. I mulled it over.

"Teach her Sandstorm. She'll enjoy it definitely. Your whole team will, really." Jasmine nodded thoughtfully.

"That reminds me! You never mentioned who can Mega Evolve on your team!" Green pointed out. I blinked at that.

"Oh, I forgot. On my team, Metang and Ares can Mega Evolve once they reach final form," I informed her. Jasmine's jaw dropped.

"Metagross can mega evolve?!"

"Ares can?! Damn!" Green gaped, gazing at my already abnormally large Shelgon.

"You have an abnormal amount of knowledge Silver. I'm genuinely baffled," Jasmine pointed out. I nodded sagely.

"I do, yeah. Don't question it too much, I really don't have an explanation for it," I told them. Jasmine opened her mouth, before closing it and nodding.

"Normally, I'd be offended by someone saying that... but it just sounds like you and I'm too used to you." Green was very much in agreement and nodded as well.

"Silvy is a mysterious person. It's a wonder we put up with his bullshit."

"I wonder everyday myself," I said blandly. Soon, we were all just nodding at each other's words.

"Alright, Jasmine show us one of your battles against a gym leader of your choice. I need to see your crusade," I said suddenly. Jasmine jumped in surprise at that and nodded shyly.

"Can you hook it up to the television? I don't know how..." she mumbled. I chuckled at that and nodded, accepting her Pokegear easily.

"We can watch the one against Falkner... that was my most impressive battle personally," she mumbled.

"I heard you swept him with Empy!" Green cackled happily. Our shy friend's cheeks reddened.

"Y-You heard about that? Was it the sisters?! Lily talks too much!" Jasmine complained. We laughed at the sight of her ducking her head in embarrassment and just pat her on the head. I whistled at the footage we were currently watching. Our group was all perched on the comfy couch, watching the exhibition match on the TV with an invested expression.

"You're putting belt to ass right now," I complimented.

"Oh! That's a good one! Belt to ass," Green mumbled, pulling out her pokegear and typing it down.

"W-What does that mean?" Jasmine asked in confusion, face a permanent shade of red since the battle began.

"It means you're beating his ass!" Green explained cheerfully, having deduced it pretty quickly. Jasmine ducked her head at that.

"I can't believe Silver has corrupted you this much. You used to be so innocent..." she trailed off. My traveling companion blinked in horror.

"W-What?! I'm not that bad! Why does everyone speak like I'm as bad as Silvy?!" I shrugged.

"If you're as bad as me, then you were never as innocent as you were led to believe," I pointed out. Green hissed from her side on Jasmine's right.

"Don't compare me to you! No one has seen the depths of how crazy you are!" she complained.

"I could say the same about you. You're a maniac who doesn't even wanna use her name." Jasmine coughed.

"Ahem! I'm in between you guys! If you start fighting, I'll get hurt!" she exclaimed. Green and I glared at each other but settled down.

"Thank you... now let's continue the battle," Jasmine decided, taking the lead for once. We both nodded and focused on the screen. The battle really was a beatdown and it was pretty obvious that Jasmine was putting my teachings into effect because Stealth Rocks was a great move that was very underutilized in this world. Stealth Rocks was tearing Falkner's flying types apart. They had different ways of working too.

They worked like the game, attacking anything that swapped in but not only that, they could be used as land mines or even a seeking missile if you got too close. Seriously, it was broken.

"I never quite paid attention to Stealth Rocks... but after this battle I realized it was a really powerful move," Jasmine muttered. It was helping her quite a lot but that wasn't even all of it. The real reason Jasmine was wrecking him was because she also taught Empy (and Skarmy) Roost. Falkner's birds already weren't doing a lot to the Empoleon, but the fact that he was also healing up the damage, made it way frustrating. His pokemon also had Roost but Empy hit the frail birds incredibly hard.

The Noctowl and Swellow got slam dunked very quickly. They had gotten caught off guard by the Stealth Rocks before a precise Ice Beam took them out of the battle before they could really recover. The Staraptor performed far better. It actually performed the best on the team. It weathered the initial blow of the Stealth Rocks, before weaving through the sky at breakneck speeds to avoid the Ice Beams being launched at it.

Empy was caught off guard, as the Sinnoh bird closed the distance and immediately landed a devastating Close Combat on the Empoleon. Unfortunately, Empy was a steel type and that type had serious pain tolerance even with the damage done by such a powerful move... He retaliated with a brutal Scald that instantly formed burns on the bird and got it to squawk in pain. Then, Empy used Roost and that's where the bullshit began. It was actually kind of funny to see Falkner lose his sanity in real time.

Falkner tried to get Staraptor to interrupt the Roost but all it got in return was a Blizzard, that completely froze it over, and a fully refreshed Empoleon. The Jasmine on screen simply smiled bashfully, as Falkner hastily sent out a Talonflame... only for it to get bombarded even worse than its teammates by the Stealth Rock.

"Falkner is talented but he is still young. This is his first year as Gym Leader actually," Jasmine explained patiently, watching Empy completely bowl over the Talonflame with a giant Surf. What followed next was a complete trashing. Falkner's remaining members of Honchkrow and Pidgeot did nothing to the Empy. Honchkrow did a great amount of damage with Sucker Punch and Dark Pulse... but the Empoleon simply healed it all up and countered with devastatingly powerful moves.

Empy was probably Jasmine's most balanced pokemon in terms of offense and defense. Magny was her most offensive, while the rest erred to the side of defensive (for now). The Empoleon utilized both greatly. Falkner's ace, his Pidgeot, tried its best but Empy was just too resilient for it. Everything it did, barely affected the Empoleon and even the surprise Heat Wave, just made the water type chuckle. A massive blizzard washed over the battlefield and that was the end of that.

Right before the video cut, I saw Falkner's stunned expression. It wasn't everyday that a trainer of his calibre would get 6-0'd after all... especially by another Gym Leader.

"Whitney recently told me he caught a Hawlucha. I'm happy that I invigorated him!" Jasmine beamed innocently. I let out an abrupt chuckle at that.

"You might have scarred him. Well done. Who was your easiest battle after him?" Jasmine looked back and forth rapidly, as if someone was going to hear this.

"Whitney and Bugsy were both equally easy... but I will just say Bugsy was easier because Whitney cried after our battle," she said in a hushed whisper. Green cackled at the despondent expression on Jasmine's face.

"It's okay Jas! Whitney is a known crybaby!" she reassured. I snorted.

"She's your friend? Make sure we never meet," I warned. Jasmine shivered.

"I fear that may be inevitable. Whitney wants to meet you both one day. I even tried to tell her that's a bad idea but she insisted," she mumbled.

"Her funeral," I shrugged. My best friends gaped.

"A-At least attempt to be civil!" Jasmine pleaded.

"Isn't she a brat? Not happening," I denied effortlessly. The steel master sighed despondently.

"Well, I've warned her about your rough personality... hopefully she doesn't cry too badly." Green laughed cheerfully.

"No worries! She'll get used to it maybe! Possibly! Probably not!" I snorted.

"But enough about that! Who was the hardest battle?!" Green asked eagerly. She mulled it over.

"Chuck was really difficult because of his type advantage but I managed to win against him with the help of Skarmy, Bronzy and Fortry! I haven't battled Clair or Pryce just yet. I was too anxious to see you two again," she admitted. Green immediately grabbed her heart and keeled over.

"Way... too... adorable," she gasped. A swell of fondness filled me that I masterfully hid.

"How long can you even stay? The season isn't over yet so how come you're allowed to visit?" I asked curiously. Jasmine fidgeted at that.

"Um well... remember how when we first met, I told you that I'm one of the least battled Gym Leaders later on?" I nodded.

"Yeah because Steel types are insane," I noted. She blushed bashfully and eagerly nodded in agreement.

"Yes! Well, around this time, most experienced trainers who just collect badges to enter the league, have already gotten all 8 of their badges. Besides them, there's very few who are actively going around collecting gym badges at this time of the year... and the few who are have likely already gotten mine," she explained.

"Of course, if there is a 7 or 8 badge challenge, I'll teleport over to do it but for the time being, my schedule is fairly light!" Jasmine finished happily.

"Sweet. We're keeping you for a while then," I said bluntly.

"And I get to actually travel around with you two! It'll be fun!" Green and I smiled at how genuinely excited she seemed at that.

"I guess we have to do more than train huh?" Green asked. I nodded sagely.

"Seems we do. Knowing us though, it'll turn crazy very soon." Green nodded sagely.

"W-Well I'm here! I'll protect you two if anything too crazy happens!" Jasmine assured. We simply stared at her and watched as a bead of sweat formed from our intense gazes.

"Oh! Here, the TM for Stealth Rocks! I've taught it to practically all my members so I don't need it anymore!" she said bashfully, handing the disk over and abruptly moving on to the next topic. I accepted it easily, gazing at it with a curious eye. Metang would put this to good use. He was the only member on my team who could learn it.

"I want a Steel Type eventually," Green sighed forlornly. Jasmine began to practically buzz.

"Oh! Which one are you interested in?! I can give you tips if you want when you eventually catch it!" Green didn't even flinch at her excited nature.

"I want an Aron. They are some of the cutest things ever," she said bluntly. I raised a brow at that. An Aron for Green? That sounded like a solid catch. Jasmine clapped happily.

"That's a wonderful choice, Green! I think an Aron suits you so well!" Both Green and I's eyes glinted at that.

"Can you do that thing too? The one where you can identify the affinity between a pokemon and your type?" I asked. Jasmine blinked.

"K-Kind of? I can't do it at a glance like some of the stronger people can but if I've known you long enough I can!" she explained.

"So you think Aron is great for me?" Green pressed.

"Yes! I do! If not Aron, then I think you'd love a Tinkatink!" Jasmine explained happily.

"They're all so cute!" Green gushed. I hummed as Jasmine turned towards me with a curious eye.

"Honestly Silver, I'm surprised because I can't really see you with any member of the Beldum line! You look like the type to have a Magnezone... or a Lucario!" she explained cheerfully. I raised a brow in surprise.

"You're saying I have no synergy with Beldums? That's pretty funny to think about," I chuckled. It made some sense. I wouldn't really consider myself the most rational person around. Jasmine giggled.

"Even despite that, you and Metang seem like a great pair! You somehow forced it to work out in your favor!" she exclaimed.

"Of course. Metang and I simply aligned our wills together and it worked out," I shrugged. Green snorted.

"That's just how Silvy is. If it doesn't work, he'll make it work."

"Completely unlike how you make your battle outfit work." Jasmine let out a strangled shout, as Green leapt over her with a feral hiss, in order to get her hands on me.

"Guys can't you... nevermind, they lasted longer than I thought," she sighed, patting her dress down gently and scooting over to the right where Green had just been sitting.

"I'll just make sure neither of them die. That's all I can do in a situation like this," Jasmine muttered. We ignored her. I idly opened the door and regarded the Bill on the other side with a curious eye.

"Sup benefactor?" I greeted easily. Bill waved cheerfully.

"How's it hanging?" he greeted.

"So so. Just training as usual. What do you need?" I asked bluntly.

"Nothing too much! I just heard that there was a Steelix over here and I don't remember any of you having one," Bill pointed out curiously. I blinked.

"That's Jasmine's Steelix." Bill blinked in return.

"Jasmine...? Hold on, do you mean—""Silver, who is it?" Jasmine asked, coming up and peeking from behind me. She tilted her head, before her eyes widened as well.

"Oh! Silver you didn't tell me that your benefactor was Bill, the creator of the storage system!" she gasped. My companion, who was still hiding behind me mind you, reached out with her hand for Bill to shake.

"It's nice to meet you, Bill. I'm Jasmine," she greeted shyly. My eyes narrowed into something dangerous, as I saw Bill take a good look at Jasmine with wide eyes. He hastily reached out and shook her hand awkwardly.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Bill... oh but you already know that! Haha..." he trailed off. My eyes narrowed even further.

"Are you only here because of the Steelix?" I asked bluntly, staring a hole into him as I snatched Jasmine's hand away. She yelped at the action and shot me a somewhat scolding look that I completely ignored because she was also clearly thankful. My first friend was way too awkward to point out how awkward the situation was making her.

"Oh! Sorry bout that!" Bill rubbed the back of his head and laughed nervously. He averted his eyes and missed the glare I shot him. I was practically getting ready to start snarling, before the most socially accepted person of our group came in to save the day.

"Hey Bill! What's up?" Green beamed, idly pushing Jasmine and I clean out of the doorway.

"Hey Green! I was just wondering if you guys planned on doing anything else besides training?" Bill wondered, relaxing instantly at our most outgoing member.

"You got a problem with training?" I snarked, only to grunt as Jasmine placed a dainty hand over my mouth. She was shooting me a chastising look... that immediately turned into a strangled scream as I shamelessly licked the hand covering my mouth.

"E-Ew Silver! What is wrong with you?!" she gasped, recoiling away from me.

"Don't cover my mouth. You're lucky it was you. Anyone else would have felt teeth."

"That's so unsanitary! Why would you do something like lick my hand?!"

"Why would you cover my mouth?"

"Because you're a rabid beast!" Green ignored us effortlessly, still grinning even as Bill listened to our conversation with a sheepish expression.

"We were actually about to go explore Two and Three Island! We don't know when but it should be sometime soon!" she explained. Bill perked up at that.

"Oh! In that case, would you mind delivering this package to a friend of ours on Boon Island? That's Two if you didn't know! You can just ask the Captain and he'll bring you over!" he requested. She mulled it over and nodded, accepting the package out of his hand.

"Sure! We're your bodyguards after all! We'll set out soon!" Bill smiled thankfully, before donning a look of concern.

"Are those two alright...?" he asked warily, pointing at Jasmine and I. Green waved him off.

"They're fine. Don't worry about it. This is normal between us." Our benefactor nodded slowly.

"Right... I'll leave you guys to it." Green beamed and bid him goodbye, before shutting the door. The grin on her face vanished instantly, as she glanced at the two of us, and my companion exhaled tiredly.

"Who decided that either of you two should answer the door?" she asked bluntly. I glanced up from my perch on Jasmine's back, sitting on it and completely immobilizing her.

"I heard knocking so I answered."

"W-Why am I not allowed to answer it?" Jasmine asked with a stunned expression. Green palmed her face.

"You two are the biggest introverts I've ever met! You should just leave socialization to me!"

"T-The biggest? Am I that bad?" Jasmine wondered. The sole extrovert there nodded without hesitation.

"The only reason you and Silvy are such good friends... is because you somehow resonated with an even bigger introvert than you."

"That sounds about right," I mused, patting her on the head.

"I guess that makes Jasmine more extroverted than me."

"She's a gym leader! She has to be!" Green cackled. Jasmine wiggled underneath me, before giving up with a sigh.

"You two are terrible. Just so terrible." I laughed before finally standing up.

"What did Bill want?" I asked.

"Delivering a package! We're headed to Two Island!" Green explained easily. Jasmine perked up and stood with my help.

"Oh! We can take the time to explore for a bit then!" I nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's prepare and head out then." Leaf: I has added Jas to the chat, Color Gang. Hatcher Boy:? Catcher Girl: Who's this? Leaf: I: Hey you two! This is one of our best friends Jasmine! You: We trust her so feel free to keep conversations the same. Hatcher Boy: Silv is speaking this early?! We've seen it all! Catcher Girl: She must be very important to you two if you've even added her to this chat! Not even Janine is here! You: That's her choice. Leaf: I: It's literally you and Goldy's fault. You:?

Hatcher Boy:? Leaf: I: Nvm. Jas: H-Hello. I'm Jasmine... I'm Silver and Green's best friend. I'm 16 years old and I'm a steel type trainer. Nice to meet you. Catcher Girl: Pardon me... did you say you're a Steel type trainer? Who's name is Jasmine? Who's 16 years old? Hatcher Boy: Wait... ARE YOU THE CUTE GYM LEADER JASMINE?! Catcher Girl: GOLD! You: You're dead. Jas: C-Cute?! Leaf: I: Man Goldy, you are so insanely stupid, that I think it's a gift.

How did you end up managing to annoy Silvy and Crys with one sentence? Hatcher Boy: My mom says that I speak loud, proud and dumb all the time. Maybe she had a point... She was speaking from experience after all. Catcher Girl: Ms. Amber will love to hear what you have to say about her. You: Your mom was right. Leaf: I: Super right. Jas: Um... wow, I guess this year of trainers is just very unique! I'm glad Silver has such good friends! Hatcher Boy: Wait. So she knows everything?

Doesn't that mean Silver was her friend first and not Green? Catcher Girl: Huh... you're right. That is what that would mean... Jas: Oh that's right! I was Silver's first friend! I met him very early in his journey. You: She was my only friend until I met Leaf. Still don't know why she's so drawn to me. Hatcher Boy: How does this guy do it? What the hell do people see that I don't? Is it because he's dark and mysterious? Why is every girl always attracted to the dark and mysterious dude?

Catcher Girl: What are you even talking about? You: I'm taller than you. Hatcher Boy: You are like 5'3, that's not the flex you think it is. You: Better than 5'2. Catcher Girl: I'm 5'2 too... Leaf: I: I'm 5'1... You: Heh. Hatcher Boy: Don't be so smug dickhead. You: You're the same height as your girlfriend. Ouch. Catcher Girl: SILVER! Hatcher Boy: I hate you. Jas: This wasn't what I was expecting meeting new friends... well, if any of you ever need help with Steel types, I'll gladly assist!... Also I'm 5'4...

Hatcher Boy: I have a Scyther who I plan on eventually evolving to a Scizor. I'll gladly take those tips. Catcher Girl: We'd love to meet you in person one of these days, Jasmine! Anyone capable of being friends with Silver so early on, is a good friend of ours! I can tell he trusts you! Jas: O-Oh! Thank you! I'd love to meet you all too... um I don't know your name. Catcher Girl: My name is Crystal! The other boy is Gold. Jas: Oh! You two are the ones who helped Silver and Green with Silph Co!

I'm so glad to meet you! Thank you so much for helping them. Hatcher Boy: No biggie. Catcher Girl: They're our friends. We'll always help! Jas: I hope we can be close as well! Any friend of Silver, is a friend of mine! Leaf: I: Jas is an honorary member of the Color Gang! Treat her like she's always been here! You: We literally told her everything so if you accidentally reveal something, it's cool. I probably just forgot to mention it. Catcher Girl: We trust her!

I'm serious when I say, if someone can tolerate you for this long, they're worth trusting. Hatcher Boy: Yeah honestly I don't know how she did it. I always thought she was the type to tear up when people cursed around her. Catcher Girl: Gold. Hatcher Boy:... I feel like Whitney would be the same? You: I agree. Is Johto just full of babies? I think the dragon girl would do it too. Catcher Girl: Dragon girl? Do you mean Clair? Hatcher Boy: You don't know Clair's name?

I know you lived under a dark rock but seriously Silv. You: You are the most confident keyboard warrior on the planet. I hope you know what's coming to you next time we meet. Hatcher Boy: Hear that Crys? He wants to meet me! I knew he loved us! Catcher Girl: You are a masochist, Gold. Jas: You guys are so funny! Leaf: I: Goldy and Silvy are free entertainment. Hatcher Boy: Literally so are you and Silv. Leaf: I: You and Crys are too! You: Shut up.

Oh and by the way, don't battle the Viridian Gym under any circumstances. Hatcher Boy: huh Catcher Girl: wha Jas: W-Why? Hatcher Boy: Could you stop fucking springing such random bits of info on us like they're no big deal?! We were literally going to go to Viridian after Cinnabar! Catcher Girl: It must be bad... You: I'll discuss it more when we meet in person. Too much to type and don't wanna incriminate myself further. You guys are smart though so you probably know why. Catcher Girl: Yeah... I have my ideas.

Okay, we'll regroup after Cinnabar then? We're still in Pallet so it may take us a while. Leaf: I: We're on the Sevii Islands right now so take your time! It'll take us long too! Hatcher Boy: Sevii Islands? That's pretty far out. Leaf: I: We were hired for a job. Since we already have 7 badges, we accepted. Hatcher Boy: That means I can avoid death for a little longer. Perfect. You: No wonder you're such a gambler. Fortune favors you. Hatcher Boy: Heh;).

Catcher Girl: Let's call it here before Gold digs his grave even deeper. Group call tonight? Janine may want to join. You: Just add her to the fucking chat. Hatcher Boy: She's being so stubborn about not wanting to associate with the Color Gang. She should cash in before we all become ultra famous and then she looks crazy saying she knows us. Catcher Girl: Gold! Silver! Stop that you two! Jas: Janine? Koga's daughter? You two know her as well? Leaf: I has added Ninja Girl to the chat, Color Gang. You: She hates me.

Jas: H-Hate...? Hatcher Boy: I think it's a crush. Everyone seems to have one on Mr. Mysterious. The amount screaming during his gym battle against Sabrina, was nauseating. You: God you are so lucky there is a screen separating us. Hatcher Boy: Which God? Mew? Arceus? Ho-oh? Do you even believe in one that's not yourself? You: I believe in whoever's happy when I shove my foot up your ass. Hatcher Boy: Ah, so Mew. Gotcha. Ninja Girl:? Why do I get the feeling you two are talking about me? You: Oh it's Ninja Girl.

Do a trick for us. Hatcher Boy: The disappearing one is awesome. Do that. Ninja Girl: This is why I don't want to be in this chat. In just a few sentences, you've shown me why I hate the both of you so much. Let me enjoy my all girls chat in peace. Ninja Girl has left the chat. Leaf: I: That's why she's not here. We've added her like 3 times already and you two make her leave every single time. Hatcher Boy: Don't remember ever doing that. You: Can't recall. She must be extremely thin skinned.

Hatcher Boy: ^ Jas: I didn't even get to say hi... Catcher Girl: Alright that's enough for today. We'll try with Janine again in like, a week maybe. Eventually she'll get tired of leaving. Group call tonight! Leaf: I: Kay! Hatcher Boy: Alright! You: No. I don't want to hear your voices. Jas: He'll speak through mine! Catcher Girl: Perfect! You: Annoying creatures. You: Wait, how come when I leave the chat you guys immediately add me back, but when Janine leaves, you don't? Leaf: I: I love tormenting you.

Hatcher Boy: Ditto. Catcher Girl:... Jas: I-I just like talking to you. You have left the chat. Leaf: I has added you to the chat, Color Gang. You have left the chat. Hatcher Boy has added you to the chat, Color Gang. You have left the chat. Catcher Girl has added you to the chat, Color Gang. You: I genuinely hate all of you. Please die.

"Giovanni is a part of Team Rocket...?" Jasmine asked in horror. I nodded my head.

"W-Why haven't we told anyone?" she asked in concern.

"... Because they have a legendary pokemon," I said gruffly. Jasmine stilled at that. Her face was distinctly pale and Green immediately pulled her into a hug.

"A legendary?" she asked quietly.

"It's a pokemon made with the cells of Mew... and I have those cells inside of me as well," I informed her. Jasmine's expression froze over.

"What...? You have...?"

"Yeah, I do. I don't really know what they did to me but yeah that's what I meant when I said I was experimented on," I said lamely. My longest friend clenched her dress and began trembling in place.

"That's why you were so angry with Team Rocket... why? What problem does Team Rocket have with you?! What did you do to deserve this?!" Jasmine asked rhetorically, shaking in anger. I shrugged helplessly.

"Be born I guess," was all I could say. Being born to two of the top members of this criminal organization did that. I grunted in surprise as I was pulled into a strong hug.

"Don't ever say that again," Jasmine murmured. She squeezed me tightly and pulled back, holding my shoulders and gazing into my eyes. Of all my friends, Jasmine's eyes were definitely the most normal. In fact, she was probably my most normal friend... but that didn't take away her importance from me at all. I actually envied it. Those light brown eyes gazed at me, glistening just from the thought of my pain and she shook her head strongly.

"Being born isn't a crime, Silver. I won't let anyone tell you, that just existing is worthy of punishment," she assured.

"Yeah Silvy! You're a douche... but you're our douche!" Green beamed. I stared at the two for a long while, before smiling and rolling my eyes.

"Whatever you say dorks. C'mon we're almost to Two Island," I said pushing them forward and out of the room.

"Aww Silvy's so bad at taking compliments!" Green gushed. Jasmine giggled.

"It's a little adorable. He freezes up every time like he doesn't know what to say." My smile was wiped clean off my face.

"I will fight the both of you at the same time. If you don't want the locals questioning why you're both messed up, I'd stop talking." The complete silence, was music to my ears.